Mélissa Gélinas LJI Reporter

A lockdown alarm was triggered at Hormisdas-Gamelin High School and the adjacent Vocational Training Centre in the Buckingham sector on March 19 at approximately 12:15 p.m.

Following this alarm, the Gatineau Police Service (SPVG) deployed a large number of police officers who quickly arrived on site to secure the area.

During this time, students had to follow lockdown procedures. “I found this experience really stressful,” said Rosealie Charbonneau, a student at the high school. “No one was aware of the situation, and we had to be confined to our classrooms for a long time.” Once the site was secured, the SPVG confirmed that there were no active threats or injuries. However, as a precautionary measure, medical interventions were carried out. The lockdown was lifted around 3:15 pm.

Despite the situation progressing smoothly, it caused a great deal of stress for students and parents. “I learned the news on Facebook,” said Brigitte Gélinas, Rosealie Charbonneau’s mother. “Several rumors circulated that there was apparently an armed person in the school. At the time, no one knew if it was true or false, but it was still very distressing. The news quickly spread at my workplace, and many parents decided to leave to go to the school grounds.”

To date, no cause for this incident has been confirmed and the investigation is still ongoing. The SPVG is taking this opportunity to remind citizens of the importance of seeking information from official sources to prevent the spread of misinformation. As for the rumours reported on social media, they have been denied by the police.